Automatic flush-tank



(No Model.)

A MAYBE AUTOMATIC PLUSH TANK.

No. 426,038. Patented Apr. 22, 1890.

i NiTnD STATESV PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUST MAYER, OF PASADENA, CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC FLUSH-TAN K.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 426,033, dated April22, 1890. Application iiled January 27, 1890. Serial No. 338,263. (Nomodel.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, AUGUST MAYER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pasadena, in the county of Los Angeles and State ofCalifornia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in AutomaticFlush-Tanks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of iiushtanks which discharge atregulated intervals through a siphon.

One purpose of my invention is to provide cheap and simple mechanismwhereby the discharge is produced by positive and direct mechanicalaction, so as to avoid any liability of failure to act properly, also toavoid the necessity of great accuracy in setting the tank.

A further object is to so construct the flushtank that when it is usedfor sewers it can be set at any desired depth in the earth above thesewer, thereby avoiding the expense of constructing unnecessarily deeptanks to fiush deep sewers.

My invention primarily consists of the combination of the reservoir ofthe ushtank, a plain vertical discharge-pipe having its lower endsealed, extending upward through and projecting above the iioor of thereservoir, a vertically-movable siphon bell or intaking limb invertedover such pipe, a supply of water flowing into such reservoir, the waterseal at the bottom of the pipe, and mechanism adapted to be operated bythe rising water within the reservoir to suddenly elevate theSiphon-bell when the Water rises to the top of the pipe,whereby thewater within the bell at the top thereof is suddenly precipitated intothe pipe to start the siphonage. In practice the bell is provided withSiphon-breaking mechanism, as hereinafter set forth.

My invention as illustrated comprises the combination of a iiushtankreservoir, a supply of water flowing thereinto, a verticaldischarge-pipe extending upward from the bottom of the reservoir andhaving its lower end sealed, a verticallymoving Siphon-bell or intakinglimb inverted over the discharge-pipe, a iioat arranged to raise suchbell by its buoyancy when the water in the tank approximately reachesthe top of such pipe, means for maintaining a pressure to depress suchfloat, and means for relieving such pressure suddenly when the buoyancyof the float raises the bell.

Various forms of mechanism have been devised by me to carry out thisinvention; but I consider the mechanism illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings to embody the best mode of applying the principle of myinvention.

Figure l is a vertical mid-section of a iiushtank embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 is a view of the upper portion of the Siphon-startingmechanism. This view is taken at right angles to that of Fig. l. Fig. 3is a perspective top view of the siphon starting and brealc ing`mechanism. Fig. l is a detail of part of the mechanism.

A is the reservoir, from the iioor of which projects upward thedischargepipe B, com municating with the conduit or outlet C to beflushed. This pipe is of any desired length, and its lower end extendsdownward through the floorot the reservoir and into the sealingbasin Dbelow the bottom of the outlet, so that when such basin is filled withwater the pipe will be sealed thereby at its lower end.

The pipe Bor discharge-limb of the siphon projects above the floor ofthe tank to the height required to allow the accumulation of sufficientwater to perform the iiushing desired. This pipe maybe made ofsewer-pipe; or it may be of iron or any other desirable material. Thebell or intaking limb E of the siphon is provided at its upper end witha float F, and is provided near its lower end with an auxiliary memberG, having its bottom above the bottom of the bell. The member Gcommunicates with the interior of the bell through perforation II nearthe top of the auxiliary member. The bell is suspended from one arm of abalance-lever I, which is journaled at a point in its mid-length torotate upon axis J, which is secured to the reservoir-wall and projectsover the bell from the wall at one side of the reservoir. The pivotedbalance-lever I is bent and one of its arms is weighted and the otherarm is pivotally connected with rod K,by which the bell is suspended.Lugs L M proj ect, respectively, from the lever I and axis J, andarearranged to interfere with each other when the bell is at its lowestposition. The solid lines in Fig. 1 show the bell in its depressedposition ready to be raised by the buoyancy of the lioat when the waterrises, as is hereinafter described. The balance-lever is pivotallyconnected with the bell and is provided with a Weighted arm, and is soarranged that when the bell is in its depressed position the center ofgravity of the weighted arm will fall between its pivoted axis J and thepivotal pin U, which supports the bell, so that the tendency of theweight is to hold the bell in its depressed position.

The water-supply pipe N is provided with a cock O, which is-arranged todischarge wa-E ter into ventilator-pipe P, which opens 'into the conduitto be flushed. The bottom of such conduit slopes downward from suchventilator-pipe to the sealing-basin, so that in preparing the tank foroperation the seal can be conveniently formed by opening cock O nn-` tilsealing-basin D is filled. When the basin D is filled, the cock O may beshut, or it may be left sufficiently open to admit enough water'into thesealing-basin to supply any loss from possible leakage. The tank is nowready for operation. Q

The operation is as follows Cock Q is opened to discharge the quantityof Water required and the tank slowly fills. The water rising at thesame time in intaking limb or bell E forces the air from such limb outthrough the seal at the bottom of pipe B. When the water has risenalmost to the top of pipe B, the buoyancy of the float causes the bellto rise, thus operating the balancelever to throw the weight S onto theside of the axis J opposite that from which the bellsupporting arm Rprojects. When the center of gravity passes over the axis J, thestatical vmomentum of the weight operates to diminish the pressure uponthe float, which rapidly rises, lifting the bell into the position shownby the dotted lines in Fig. l, thus sud-4 denly precipitating a largequantity of wa-` ter into pipe B and starting the siphon at? once. Whenthe water is drawn out ofl the tank to the level of the bottom of the ,lauxiliary member Gthe water in G will flow i up through perforation Huntil Gr is emptied. Air will then flow through the perforation; into F,and thus break thesiphonage. Vhen; by the lowering of the water in thetank the: buoyancy of the float has been diminished` to such extent thatthe statical momentum` of the bell and its attachments exceeds thatfI ofthe weight S, the bell will fall back into its original position, asshown in the solid Vlines in Fig. l, after which the operation is;repeated as before. The rush of water caused by this mechanism is sogreat that the extent of the seal is not an important factor in the i'operation, and good results are secured` Whether the seal'is heavy orlight. Since the E connection between the Vreservoir and the conduit tobe flushed is a straight plain i pipe and may be of any desirablelength, the f reservoir can be placed near the surface of.y the groundonly deep enough to protect the water from freezing. The pipe P allowsthe warm :air yfrom the sewer to enter the reser- -voir to keep thetemperature of the water above freezing-point.

V represents the supply of water owing into the reservoir.

The -bell and 'float land auxiliary member can be conveniently cast ofone piece ot' metal. The float being formed, as shown in the drawings,'of a cylinder open at the bottom and closed at the top, surrounding andconnected with the bell, the rising water closes the .mouth vof the ioatand prevents the-escape of air. It' desired, however, the bell and iioatmay be made of galvanized i'ron, and the iioat maybe closed `at thebotto'm; or it may be constructed separate from the belland be connectedtherewith by various means, which will readily suggest themselves tovthose skilled in the art. I do not wish to be limited to thespecitic'construction shown in the drawings; but

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by yLetters Patent, is-- l.The combination of the reservoir,- a plain vertical discharge-.pipehaving its lower-end sealed, extending upward vthrough and projectingabove the ioonofn the reservoir,a vertically-.moving ySiphon-bellinvertedfoversuch pipe, a supply of water flowing-.into the reservoir,the seal at the bottom of the pipe, and mechanism adapted to be operatedby the rising water within the reservoir tofsuddenly elevate theSiphon-bell when the water rises to the top of the pipe.

2. In a flush-tank, the combination Aof 'the reservoir, a supply ofwater flowing thereinto, a vertical discharge-pipe extending .upwardfrom the bottom of the reservoir ,and having its lower end sealed, theseal, a vertically-moving Siphon-bell `inverted over the discharge-pipe,a float arranged to raise such bell by its buoyancy when the water inthe tank reaches the topof such pipe, means for maintaining a pressuretodepress such float, and. means for relieving such pressure Vsuddenlywhen the buoyancy of the 'ioat raises the bell.

3. In a flush-tank, 'the combination of the reservoir, a supply of waterflowing kthereinto, the dischargepipe projecting upward from the floorof the reservoir and extending downward through such ioor and .sealed atits lower end, the seal, the inverted bell provided at its upper endwith a float, a pivoted balance-lever pivotally connected with the belland provided with a weighted farm, and so arranged vthat when the Abellis in its depressed position 'the center of vgravity of .the weightedarm will fall between its4 pivotal axisand the jpi-votal ,pin whichsupports the bell.

.AUGUST NSlVtneasesz A,LiMns R. TowNsEND,

0.1GALER.

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